Split backstay



LY L. BEAN. SPLIT BACK- STAY. APPLICATION FILEDJUNE I1, 1920- Patent-edJan. 11, 1921.

hvankoz Bean LEnIiL abtow age UNITED-- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, nnon L. BEAN, or rnnnronr, MAINE.

SPLIT 'BACKSTAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921 Application filed June 11 1920. Serial No.388,293.'

I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it know-n that I, LEON L. BEAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Freeport,'in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Split .Backstays,of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates'to boot and shoe constructions, and hasmore particular reference to an improved back stay and top construction.

An object of the present invention is to i provide a construction ofback stay-which vamp quicker and in a more satisfactory manner; and,wherein there is avbided the bringing together of double'thicknesses ofleather or rubber atthe same point as is required with the present dayshoe construction;fand wherein a single thickness of leather is providedat the back of the shoe and the usual thick lip is done away with whichcatches in hard snow or crust and gradually tears the top away from thelower part of the shoe. H

The above, and various other objects and advantages of this inventionwill be in part described in, and in part understood from,

the following detail description of the present preferred embodiment,the same .being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure1 is a perspective view of a shoe constructed according to the presentinvention, the view being from the back of the shoe.

Fig. 2 is a detail enlarged fragmentary view of the top part of the shoeat the heel thereof, shown in a partly stitched condition.

heel part of the shoe taken through the back stay.

top of the shoe.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the" Ref erning to the drawing,there is shown, for the purpose of setting forth the present 1nvent1on,a shoe of the type which is known as a hunting shoe, and wherein thesole 10 V and vamp 11 are made substantially integral and of rubber, andwherein the top portion of the shoe is made of leather. i

In the present instance-the top ismade from the the like and which arestitched together at the back of the shoe against the inner side of aback stay 14. According to the resent invention the back stay 14 issplit or ivided at its. lower endinto downwardly diverging branches 15having an angle of divergence suflicient to cariTy thelower ends of thebranches 15 toward the sides of the heel part side pieces 12 and 13 ofleather or so as toleave a relatively broad V-shaped space within thelower end of the back sta 14.

s best shown in Fig. 3, the side pieces 12 and 13 of the top are cutaway at their meeting edges on the lines of divergence of the backstay-l4 and a-third piece 16 ofleather or the like is inserted in theopening or space between the lower end portions of the parts 12 and 13to act as a filler and a continuation of the parts which combine to makethe back of the heel top and is preferably of the same materialias arethe sides 12-and 13 and isfleXible and capable of bending and conformingto the heel of .the wearer and to the The'part 16 constitutes thecreases imposed upon the heel part incident to the use of the shoe. IThe lateral edge portions of the part 16 are stitched along the innermarginal edge portions of the branches 15 of the back stay and abutagainst the adj acent edges of the side pieces 12 and 13 and arepreferably secured thereto by lines of.

stitching 17. l I The top of the shoe is secured by lines of stitching18 to the upper edge of the shoe vamp 11. In the present instance theshoe vamp is of rubber and consequently the lines of stitching 18 may,in ordinary shoe construction, be easily broken away at the heel of theshoe. I

. As may be best understood from Fig. 3, 105

the vamp 11 of-the shoe provides a thickness at the heel and the rearpart 16 of the top merely'adds an additional thickness to the heel ofthe shoe so that there is the least possible multiplicity of layers ofmaterial at the heel of the shoe where the wrinkles are so easily andpermanently formed, and which consequently is the least durable part oftheshoe structure.

By providing but va single additional thickness-at the heel of theshoe,.the structure of the shoe at this point is materially increased instrength and is capable of flexing freely without permanent or setwrinkles. The lines of stitching 18 are, therefore, protected againstthe chafing and breaking which results from the usual construction.

The back stay branches 15 provide reinforcements for the stitching 17which holds the lateral and back sections 12, 13, and 16 together. Theheel of the shoe 16 is thus of the same thickness and flexibility as arethe sides 12 and 13, and hence the shoe as a whole is capable of fittingthe foot more closely .and of a greater freedom in movement withoutstrain on the stitching than is found on the construction now generallyused.

It is, of course, understood that various changes and modifications maybe made in the details of construction and design of the abovespecifically described embodiment of this invention without departingfrom the spirit thereof, such changes and modifi cations beingrestricted only by the scope of the following claims. t What is claimedis:

1. In shoe construction, the combination of a shoe having a vamp, a topincluding side pieces and a rear piece secured together with abifurcated seam, and a back stay, said back stay being split andbranched at its lower end and secured to the side pieces heel of theshoe and over the bifurcated back seam.

. 3. In shoe construction, the combination of a shoe including a vamp, atop stitched to the upper edge of the Vamp and a rear piece securedtogether with a bifurcated seam and aback stay, said back stay having abranched lower end with branches diverging toward opposite sides of theheel and being secured thereat with the top to the vamp and over thebifurcated back seam.

1. In shoe construction, the combination of a shoe including a yamp, ofa top comprising a'pair of side sections having their rear edge portionscut away and diverging to the vamp and including a pair of side pieceswith their rear edges diverging clownwardly to form a space at the heelpart of the shoe, a filler piece secured in said space and to'thediverging edges'of the side pieces, and a back stay stitched to themarginal edge portions of said side pieces and having a branched lowerend stitched at its inner edge to said filler piece.

6. In shoe construction, the combination of a shoe having a vamp, of atop stitched about the vamp edge of the upper and 1ncluding a pair ofside pieces secured in edge to edge relation at the back of the shoe andhaving their rear edges diverging toward the heel part of the shoe, afiller piece secured between the diverging edges of the side piece andin edge to edge engagement therewith for providing a flexible heelportion to the shoe top, and a back stay stitched to the side pieces andhaving a branched lower end adapted to follow the lines of abutment ofthe meeting edges of the side pieces and the filler piece.

LEON L. BEAN.

